Shepway's Damning Silence on Post Office Closure

We continue to hold the Conservative cabinet to account in many areas. Last month was a motion about Mr Anthony Cowie, and many, many questions to the Cabinet, asking for explanations for their decisions.

Imagine our amazement, and I am sure the whole of Shepway's amazement, when we found that the Leader of this council did not make any representation what so ever, to the consultation held by the Post Office, on the closure of the Crown Post Office counters services in Folkestone.

Why were these Conservatives elected, when they do not represent the people who voted for them? This is a major issue for many thousands of people, and indeed thousands of people have signed petitions against this move. But the Conservative cabinet obviously did not feel that this issue was important enough to respond to a consultation on this matter.

They have let the people of Shepway down. So this month, we have placed a motion at the next full council meeting, to make sure that they can never do this again. We are proposing that any major consultation should be discussed by all, and representations will be made by Shepway District Council in the future to all major consultations affecting our area.

The sale of the old part of the Royal Victoria Hospital is to go ahead. However, as a direct result of our campaign to save ALL services for the people of Shepway, the NHS Trust now guarantees that all services will remain, and they say, be improved. We are also fighting to save the facade of the old building, so as any new residential development, which is the plan, will keep the frontage. This would be enormously comforting to the people of Shepway, as thousands of people have a very strong attachment to this building, and retaining the facade would ensure that the building remains in keeping with the rest of the area in future.

Thank you to all of you for supporting this campaign, and it is with great happiness that I can tell you that our part in this campaign has saved all the services available for the people of Shepway.